


Happy New Year

by apocrypha73



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Fluff, M/M, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 16:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13217193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apocrypha73/pseuds/apocrypha73
Summary: It's the last day of the standard year and everyone at the Rebel Base on Yavin IV is celebrating. Well, almost everyone.Set somewhere in season 4. It may contain spoilers for everything that's aired so far.





	Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redmacallan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redmacallan/gifts).



> This is a small thank-you gift for [redmacallan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/redmacallan/pseuds/redmacallan) for being an awesome beta. I know how difficult it is to take time away from college, family, friends, your own writing and I don't even know how many other things to work on my fic, but you do it anyway, and I want you to know I appreciate it a lot. You totally deserve nice and fluffy New Year's Eve fic, so here it is. I hope you like it.

 

“Why’re you still here? The party’s already started, come on!”

Kallus looked up from the screen of the console to see Zeb standing at the door of the Command Center, looking at him with a bright grin on his face and a question in his eyes.

The nervous flutter in his stomach at the sight of the Lasat was quite familiar by now, but no less unsettling. Kallus felt his heart speed up a bit as a smile rose to his lips out of its own volition.

“I’m on watch duty,” he answered, gesturing to the otherwise empty room. “It’s okay, you go and have fun. I’ll witness the beginning of the new standard year from here.” He pointed to one of the clocks. “See? I have my own countdown and everything.”

Instead of heeding his words, Zeb walked into the room with an appalled look on his face. “No way. They put  _ you  _ on watch duty tonight? Man, that’s harsh.”

“I volunteered, actually,” Kallus explained, trying his best not to let it show how pleased he was with this unexpected visit. “I’m not overly fond of parties anyway.”

“Really?” Zeb took a seat next to Kallus, turning the chair around to straddle it so he could face the man. “Huh. I never took you for an introvert. Guess you learn something new every day.”

Kallus huffed with amusement. “I’m not an introvert. I can socialize just fine when I have to. But I am a newcomer here, and I figured it was only fair that I took this shift, so everyone else could celebrate.”

Zeb shot him a satisfied look, grinning widely. “Will you look at that,” he said, teasing. “The nasty Imperial is thinking of others before himself. I’m impressed.”

“Ex Imperial, if you don’t mind,” Kallus shot back in the same tone, deliberately not correcting him about the ‘nasty’ part. “And it’s not like that. I do hate parties, they’re noisy and tiring. So please, don’t go thinking I’m doing some kind of noble sacrifice. I have a reputation to keep.”

Making Zeb laugh really shouldn’t be as exhilarating as it was for him, but the sound of the Lasat’s chuckle made Kallus feel insanely proud, like he had achieved an epic feat of some sort. He allowed himself to bask for a moment in the illusion that Zeb was enjoying their conversation as much as he was, even if he didn’t entertain any hope that it was possible.

He was realistic. Only one person in that room had a massive, overwhelming, downright ridiculous crush on the other. That seat was already taken.

Zeb stood up from his chair then. “All right,” he said. “Just wait here a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Kallus blinked a couple of times, taken by surprise. He followed Zeb with his eyes as the Lasat rushed to the door. “Wait here for what?”

“You’ll see,” Zeb replied hurriedly, walking backwards toward the exit. “Back in a sec. Don’t go anywhere.”

He quickly disappeared down the corridor, leaving a very puzzled Kallus behind.

“And where the kriff would I go?” he murmured into the silence.

Kallus didn’t count on Zeb coming back. Surely someone would meet him while he wandered around the base and drag him to the party, and then he’d forget about their little conversation and his promise to return. The man sighed. Damn, but he missed him already. He’d barely seen Zeb lately, with all those missions keeping the  _ Ghost  _ crew away from the base. It would have been nice to talk to him for a little longer, but alas, the moment had passed.

But it was fine, really, it was. Zeb couldn’t be expected to abandon his friends in order to spend the evening with him. And Kallus had work to do, anyway. Important work which demanded his full attention, like… Like waiting for a hypothetical incoming transmission of for any alarm to start blasting. Yes, it could totally happen, even on New Year’s Eve. He must not be distracted. 

With another tired sigh, he checked the contents of the thermos he’d brought with himself, to make sure there was enough caf in there to get him through the night.

But then, much to his surprise, Zeb reappeared at the door with a huge plate filled to the brim with food in one hand, and a bottle of sparkly wine in the other.

“Wh… What is that?” Kallus said very slowly.

Zeb beamed at him, presenting his cargo like a prize. “If you’re not going to the party, I’ll bring the party to you.”

The warmth that spread through Kallus’s chest felt like coming home, like his grandmother’s cooking, like soft blankets and a cup of tea. It felt like all the things he’d left behind when he joined the Empire, like… Like being looked after, instead of having to always fend for himself.

He knew for a fact he’d never done anything good enough to deserve Zeb’s attention like this, but he felt too grateful to be ashamed at the moment.

Swallowing through the lump in his throat, Kallus tried to school his face into a somewhat neutral expression, although he knew it would be impossible to completely hide his delight. “Are you serious?” he huffed. “That’s way too much food. I couldn’t eat that in a week.”

“Who said it’s just for ya?” Zeb replied, putting the plate on the nearest clear surface he could find, which was Mon Mothma’s desk. He set the bottle next to it and then took two glasses out of his back pocket with a flourish.

Kallus arched his eyebrows in disbelief. “Wait, you…? Oh, no. No, no, no, Zeb, no way. This is really kind of you, but I can’t allow it.”

“Why not?” Zeb asked, genuinely puzzled.

Oh, but it was so tempting. Kallus had to fight the selfish urge to just shut up and let him stay, to accept his offer as the gift it was. But even he wouldn’t do that. Zeb’s thoughtfulness was one of the reasons Kallus had fallen in love with him so spectacularly, but he’d never take advantage of that.

He got up from his own chair and stood next to Zeb. “You should go back to the party,” he insisted. “I can’t let you ruin your night just because you’re too nice to let me be alone. You don’t have to keep me company.”

“I’m not ruining anything,” Zeb answered as he opened the bottle of wine with a soft pop. “And maybe I like your company,” he added with a wink.

Kallus huffed a self-deprecating laugh, answering in a much lighter tone than how he felt. “Yeah, sure. Come on, Zeb. We both know that can’t be true.”

Zeb froze, halfway through filling the first of the glasses. He set the bottle aside very slowly and then turned to face Kallus with a frown.

“What the kriff do you mean by that?” he asked cautiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

Squirming under the Lasat’s intense scrutiny, Kallus threaded his fingers through his hair to push it back, though it fell back to his temples right away. “Well,” he said shyly, “considering our history…” He didn’t really know how to finish that sentence, so he let the words hang in the air.

Zeb’s frown deepened and he let out a deep sigh, shaking his head in a negative fashion. “That belongs in the past, mate. I’m much more interested in the future,” he said softly. “I know it’s easier said than done, believe me, I’ve been there. But there’s no point in…” His expression changed suddenly, like he had just realized something. “Wait a minute. Is that the real reason why you’re hiding here, instead of having fun with everyone else?”

“I’m not hiding,” Kallus protested, feeling an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. Zeb’s uncanny ability to read him like a kriffing billboard tended to do that to him. “Someone had to do this watch, and I thought it might as well be me. That’s it.”

But Zeb was having exactly zero of his bullshit, apparently. “Has anyone been bothering you about being a former Imperial? Is that what this is about?” he asked suspiciously.

“What? No!” Kallus assured him, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Everybody’s been very nice to me. More than I expected, honestly, I…” He closed his mouth abruptly, realizing he had talked too much.

“You were saying?” Zeb asked smugly, an eyebrow arched.

Kallus let out a long, slow breath, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “All right, you win. I admit I feel a little awkward around the same people I used to torment when I was with the Empire. I can work with them just fine, but hanging out with them in a casual environment is another matter, and I can’t shake off the sensation that I’m intruding. Satisfied?”

Zeb’s little smile had more of gentle understanding than self-satisfaction for being right. The Lasat uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, putting one of his big hands on each of Kallus’s shoulders. “You know you’re welcome here, don’t you? You’re one of us. Whatever you did before, you’ve more than earned your place in the Rebellion by risking your neck as Fulcrum for so long.”

“I know that. On a rational level, at least.” Kallus couldn’t help but return the smile, completely fascinated by the tender look in Zeb’s green eyes and the affection in his words. His heart was beating like crazy, every cell of his body reacting to Zeb’s closeness. “But knowing and feeling are two very different things.”

Zeb rolled his eyes, as if to say he’d been there too, then brought his gaze back to Kallus. “As for me, well… I never thought I’d say this, but I like you.” The Lasat scoffed at himself, like he couldn’t believe what he was saying. “You’re smart, you’re sort of funny when you get sarcastic, and you understand honor the same way I do. Actually, I think we have a lot more in common than we both want to admit.”

“Thank you,” Kallus said with a soft chuckle. “I never thought I’d say this either, but I’d be very proud to have a lot in common with you,” he added sincerely.

With a gentle squeeze, Zeb let go of Kallus’s shoulders and went back to pouring the wine. “And for the record,” he said, “I’m here because I want to. It’s not outta pity, and it’s definitely not because of the goodness of my heart. I’m not a kriffing martyr, dude”. 

He handed one of the glasses to Kallus and lifted the other one in a toast. “For the future.”

Kallus looked at his glass, then at Zeb, then he smiled and decided to stop worrying. Might as well not act like an ungrateful bastard after the Lasat had gone through so much trouble, so he told his brain to shut the kriff up and let him have this. “For the future”, he repeated, raising his glass as well to make it clink against Zeb’s.

They took a sip of wine at the same time, and then Zeb grinned widely. “So,” he said. “You hungry?”

Kallus had already had dinner before his shift, so he wasn’t particularly hungry, but there was no way he was going to disappoint Zeb. “Sure, why not?” he answered. “Let’s try some of that.”

Sitting by the desk together, they shared funny anecdotes and rebel base gossip as they distractedly picked on some of the treats Zeb had brought. Kallus realized they had a lot of catching up to do, after they’d barely seen each other in the last months. He asked Zeb about their mission in Lothal, listening with captivated attention to his stories of loth-wolves and mystic travels through caves.

“So,” Zeb said after a while, toying with his glass of wine, “not a bad year all in all, right?”

“Well, I survived it,” Kallus answered with a lopsided smile. “That alone is a lot more than I had hoped for. Besides, I escaped the Empire and now I’m here, doing something good for a change. So yes, it’s been an excellent year for me. What about you?”

Zeb leaned back in his chair, counting with his fingers. “Everyone I care about made it. The Rebellion is starting to gain real strength. Kanan and Hera finally decided to acknowledge their feelings for each other, putting an end to everyone’s misery. And we got you. Yeah, not complaining either.”

Kallus gave him a warm smile, swelling with joy at being included on that list. He was about to say something about hoping to make the next one ever better when they heard the echoes of a loud cheer coming from the mess hall, dulled by the distance but clearly recognizable. Both of them turned to look at the clock by reflex, and there it was: it had just turned to midnight. The new standard year had arrived.

Grinning widely, Kallus turned around to wish Zeb a happy new year and all his breath left his body in a rush when he found the Lasat’s face only inches away from his. He barely had time to register what was happening when he felt Zeb’s lips on his own and his head started spinning.

Kallus’s brain was stunned, but his body happily took over, eagerly leaning into the kiss like he had been starving for Zeb’s touch. Which he had, in fact, who was he kidding. It was a fairly chaste kiss, almost innocent, a soft press of closed lips over closed lips that lasted way too little for Kallus’s taste, but left him flushed and tingly anyway.

Zeb didn’t move too far back afterwards, keeping his face close enough for Kallus to feel his warmth. “Happy New Year,” he whispered, his deep voice dropping to a tone so low it felt like a caress.

And honestly, that was more than any human being could be expected to resist.

Instead of replying, Kallus moved forward to kiss Zeb again, this time for real. He captured the Lasat’s mouth with his own, a hand cradling his face and angling his head to get a better access. He felt Zeb’s arms surrounding his torso, pulling him to his chest, and his tongue tentatively caressing his lips. Emboldened by Zeb’s enthusiastic response, Kallus took the Lasat’s lower lip between his teeth, very softly, smirking at his full body shiver. 

“Happy New Year indeed,” Kallus finally said when they stopped, breathing hard, a wicked smile stretching his swollen lips. He could barely believe this was happening, but Zeb was right there and smiling at him with a fond look in his eyes and this wasn’t like any of his daydreams. It was a thousand times better. “I have a feeling that it’s going to be memorable.”

“You bet,” Zeb replied, a self-satisfied look on his face.

“Wait a second,” Kallus said, putting a hand on Zeb’s chest and squinting at him in mock suspicion. “Is this the real reason why you’ve organized all this, the… the food and the wine and the whole ‘ _ I’ll bring the party to you _ ’? So you could kiss me at midnight?”

Zeb’s laughter was open an honest, and without a doubt the best thing Kallus had heard in a while. “Whaddaya think? I’ve been planning to do that for  _ weeks _ , man, and you almost ruined it by not showing up to the party. You socially awkward nerd.” The affection in his voice belied his words, and Kallus’s heart was on the verge of bursting with happiness.

“Oh, really?” the man said suggestively. “Well, then, I really must compensate you for all your troubles.”

He leaned in to press his lips against Zeb’s again, slowly and thoroughly devouring every inch of that beloved mouth until neither of them felt like laughing anymore.

The new year was certainly starting to look  _ very  _ promising.


End file.
